MINGORA: A multi-party conference held here on Monday announced to launch a protest drive against the imposition of Customs Act in the Malakand division.

The conference was chaired by JUI-F’s Maulana Gul Naseeb.

The participants unanimously rejected imposition of the Customs Act in Malakand and decided to go to extreme extent in defying it.

“Imposition of the Customs Act will paralyse all economic activities in the division which will never be accepted by the people of the region,” vowed a participant.

The participants decided that the matter would be raised at a meeting with Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif following consultations with parliamentary leaders of the political parties. “If the issue is not resolved by PM, protests will be held across the Malakand division,” threatened another participant.

The meeting decided that the action committee, which was formed at the conference, would hold a meeting with the provincial assembly members, senators and ministers on July 24. “On July 27, a shutter down strike will be observed across Malakand division, and on August 5 a wheel-jam strike will be held while people of Malakand division will observe a sit-in in Islamabad on August 10,” a participant of the meeting disclosed, asking the federal government to realise the sufferings of the people of Malakand division as they had already suffered heavy losses due to militancy and floods.—Correspondent